Top Club National was held June 18-21 in Choctaw/Shawnee, OK (All rankings are Line Drive National Club Rankings):

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18U: BIRMINGHAM THUNDERBOLTS PREMIER 5, HOTSHOTS NATIONAL-NELSON 1

#4 Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier got contributions from its entire lineup to take care of #10 Hotshots National-Nelson, 5-1, in the 18U championship game of the Top Club Nationals on Sunday at Firelake Ball Fields in Shawnee, OK.

The top players ford Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier were Oregon-bound RHP/1B Piper Cavanaugh (26 IP, 0 ER, .419 AVG, 3 HRs and 12 RBIs), Arkansas-bound IF Katie King (3 HRs), Texas Tech-committed 2027 OF Taylor Poland (.429 AVG), Arkansas-bound C/1B Ava Hodo (11 RBIs) and Texas A&M-bound IF/RHP Aubrey Moore (11 runs) and UAB-committed 2027 C/IF Josie Bohannon (2 clutch HRs and strong defense).

“This championship proves ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,'” Birmingham Thunderbolts coach Rocky Thompson said. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we’re even more excited about what’s ahead. We’ll use this experience, this confidence, and this momentum to continue propelling our team forward through the rest of the summer.”

#4 Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier defeated #15 Nebraska Gold National-Singleton, 7-0, #43 Arizona Storm National-Mathis, 6-3, and #10 Hotshots National-Nelson, 5-1, in Elite 8 bracket games.

#10 Hotshots National-Nelson beat #21 Tennessee Mojo-Ramsey, 5-1, #7 OC Batbusters-Stith, 4-3, and lost to #4 Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier, 5-1, in Elite 8 bracket games.

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16U: OKLAHOMA ATHLETICS NATIONAL-MADDEN/DAVIS VS. ATHLETICS MERCADO-WALKER/HOVERMALE

Oklahoma Athletics National-Madden/Davis and #12 Athletics Mercado-Walker/Hovermale reached the 16U championship game, both decided not to play the final and finished as co-champions at the Top Club Nationals on Sunday at Firelake Ball Fields in Shawnee, OK.

The standouts for the Oklahoma Athletics were 2029 LHP Adalynn Luttrell 0.00 ERA), 2028 LHP Avaree Beach (1.17 ERA) and 2027 OF Ava Salcedo (.600 AVG, 3 HRs).

2028 OF/P/UT Tatum Wolff (5-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 33 Ks, 28 IP) and 2028 P/1B Jade Torres (15 Ks, 3.11 ERA) led the Athletics Mercado starting pitching while 2028 OF/P Emma West and 2028 1B/RHP Reagan Hanson added valuable relief innings and provided important depth to the championship staff with West steadily contributing on the offensive side as well.

Offensively, the team was led by several standout performers, including Wolff (.600 AVG), 2028 3B/1B Tiff Karg, 2028 1B/OF/3B Molly Copolla, 2028 MIF/CF Presley Sloniker, 2028 MIF/3B Peyton Seevers, 2027 OF Dillyn Eckenrod, 2027 OF Rae Logue and 2029 OF/2B Kayla Stucky pacing the lineup with exceptional batting averages and multiple home runs.

“Winning the 16U Top Club Fastpitch National Championship in Oklahoma is a tremendous achievement for our team and organization,” Athletics Mercado coach Mat Walker said. “Traveling from California to compete against many of the nation’s top programs, this title reflects the continued hard work, dedication and resilience our players demonstrated all season.”

Oklahoma Athletics National-Madden/Davis defeated Hotshots Naudin National,-Velazquez, 4-1, Marucci Patriots National-Beene, 10-4, and DNP’s #12 Athletics Mercado-Walker/Hovermale in Elite 8 bracket games.

#12 Athletics Mercado-Walker/Hovermale beat #46 Nebraska Gold National-Swift, 3-2, Epic National-Smith, 9-8, and DNP’d Oklahoma Athletics National-Madden/Davis in Elite 8 bracket games.

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14U: ATHLETICS MERCADO-COOK/DREW VS. HOTSHOTS NATIONAL-SENECA/TORRES

#31 Hotshots National-Seneca/Torres and Athletics Mercado-Cook/Drew both reached the 14U championship game, decided not to play the final and finished as co-champions at the Top Club Nationals on Sunday at Firelake Ball Fields in Shawnee, OK.

The Hotshots had nine players bat above .300 for the tournament. 2029 UT Colbie Miske and 2030 MIF Addison Raugh batted .692 and .500, respectively. 2029 RHP Avery Dunlap (29 IP, 54 Ks, 0.239 ERA)led the way for the Hotshots in the circle.

“This tournament is another goal accomplished for us this summer and another step in our goal of continuing to improve as a team,” Hotshots coach Terry Seneca said. “The team continues to find ways to win and raise their level of play in the big games. We are very proud of this team so far, but we still have a lot we want to accomplish this summer.”

The leaders for Athletics Mercado-Cook/Drew were 2029 MIF/OF Jaylene Guadagnolo (.500 AVG, .565 OBP, 10 hits, 1 double, 1 triple, 7 runs, 6 SBs), 2029 3B/C Mia Zuniga (.474 AVG, .524 OBP, 9 hits, 4 doubles, 8 RBIs), 2029 MIF Layla Martignoni (.421 AVG, 8 hits, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 5 runs), 2029 C/OF/1B Kennedy Balber (4 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 6 runs), 2029 P/1B Madison Pitts (3-0, 1.05 ERA, 1 save, 20 Ks), 2029 P/1B Madison Urbina (3-0, 1.82 ERA, 11 Ks) and 2030 P/OF Delilah Bui (1-0, 0.80 RA, 1 save).

“This is another huge milestone for this group of girls,” Athletics Mercado coach Mike Cook said. “After winning the (AZ) Last Blast event in Arizona, we felt that we were growing in the right direction and the girls are buying into what we want to build.

“We worked hard coming back from high school to get that feeling back that we ended with in the fall. We started getting that feeling again (at Triple Crown) Zoom Into June and we talked about carrying it over to Top Club (Nationals). The girls did just that. The girls have bought into themselves and just believe that if they can control what they control, we become a dangerous team. This championship represents just that! Selfless, gritty and wanting the best for each other as we continue to make a name for ourselves.”

Athletics Mercado-Cook/Drew beat Oklahoma Evolution National-Weatherly, 5-2, #12 OC Batbusters-JS, 6-4, and DNP’d #31 Hotshots National-Seneca/Torres in Elite 8 bracket games.

#31 Hotshots National-Seneca/Torres beat #47 Buzz Gold, 8-0, #5 OC Batbusters-Black/Garcia, 8-4, and DNP’d Athletics Mercado-Cook/Drew in Elite 8 bracket games.

— Carlos Arias, Line Drive Media (Follow Carlos on Instagram @los_stuff)